Anglo-Dutch relations have been enjoying an academic renaissance in recent years, and this is reflected in this hefty and handsome edited collection. War, Trade and the State: Anglo-Dutch Conflict 1652–89 arose from two conferences, one Dutch and one British, held to commemorate the 350th anniversary of the Dutch raid on the Medway in June 1667. The volume has four parts: Part I is an introduction by the editors, Part II explores “War in the North Sea,” Part III broadens focus to “Conflict in the Atlantic World and Asia,” and Part IV, reflecting the impetus for the initial conferences, considers “Public History.” The editors, David Ormrod and the late Gijs Rommelse, aim “to explore the broader dimensions of the conflict, of which war and armed struggle were only one, albeit the most significant, aspect” (p. xviii). Emphatically, they express a wish to avoid producing “another survey of the course of these wars” (p. xvii).
In contributing to the revitalization of a field that had, until fairly recently, fallen into something of an abeyance, there is a laudable attempt here to do something new, as the editors strive “to emphasise the European context as distinct from the traditional bilateral treatment of the three Anglo-Dutch wars” (p. xvii). In particular, the editors are right to note that “the Asian dimension of the wars has been largely ignored,” and that this neglect “obscures the global character” of the conflicts (pp. 15–16). It is refreshing to see such a concerted attempt to consider Anglo-Dutch relations in a broader context. Similarly, emphasizing public history situates this volume within a growing field of interest, not only in history but also in heritage and related disciplines. The volume is attractively produced: it is richly and thoughtfully illustrated and, for readers who (like me) continue to prefer hard copies to e-books, pleasingly tactile.
The editors’ desire to move away from bilateral analyses of the Anglo-Dutch Wars is visible in many of the chapters, standing out as a key theme and lending the collection a coherence that is hard to achieve in an edited collection. A longue durée approach is taken by several of the contributors, including John B. Hattendorf, who thoughtfully categorizes naval developments as a “transformation, not a revolution” (p. 94). Erik Odegard makes the compelling case that “the Anglo-Dutch wars did not initiate Anglo-Dutch rivalry in Asia, nor did their conclusion stem this rivalry” (p. 246). Such an approach encourages useful re-situation of the conflicts in their wider temporal, as well as geographical, contexts.
While there is much to commend this volume, it falls a little short of fulfilling its core aims. Ultimately only two of the thirteen chapters (those by Erik Odegard and Martine van Ittersum) have Asia as their focus, which is perhaps a reflection of how far this arena of these conflicts has been neglected. Similarly, a more substantial Part IV might have placed public history as a core concern of the volume: the final two chapters feel somewhat detached. By far the most substantial section is Part II, “War in the North Sea,” which accounts for more than half of the contributions to the volume. It is frustrating that military, naval, diplomatic, and political issues remain the overriding themes, very much reflecting traditional histories of Anglo-Dutch relations. This is not necessarily to criticize individual contributions (though the quality of these varies substantially), and may simply reflect the most active scholarship, but there is a missed opportunity to truly “explore the broader dimensions of the conflicts,” including the impact of the wars on trade (beyond merchant companies), culture, and society (p. xx). The former will be particularly disappointing to the business historians most likely to be reading this review. Economic concerns are discussed at length in the introduction, but beyond the well-trodden ground of the East India Company and VOC (Dutch East India Company), scarcely considered in the chapters that follow. Further, a spotlight on some of the more exciting methodological approaches showcased here, that not only broaden our understanding of Anglo-Dutch relations but which might fruitfully be applied to other contexts, would have built a more convincing case for the broader impact of this collection. Martine van Ittersum's chapter stands out for being explicit about the new ways in which she approaches “the written documents that connected the negotiating tables in London and The Hague with the furthest reaches of empire” (p. 249). Space might have been made for such an analysis by removing partisan discussions of Brexit in both of the bookending chapters, which may jar with some readers (pp. 3–4, 294–295).
While the collection might have been more balanced, and might have gone further in innovative directions, this is a handsome volume that will be of use to scholars interested in a variety of aspects of Anglo-Dutch relations, and the way that they were influenced by—and influenced—a wider world. Business historians are probably not its primary audience, and I am sure that my own research interests have colored my perception of this book. Diplomatic, military, naval, or political historians may have a different view.
